A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to image forming devices, and more particularly, to a beam scanning apparatus in an image forming device and a method of operating thereof.
B. Background of the Invention
Beam scanning apparatuses for image forming devices such as photocopiers, facsimile machines, and laser printers are known. An example of such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,462,855, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In conventional high-speed image forming devices, a plurality lasers are used to scan an image surface on a line by line basis, where different lasers are used to “scan” successive lines. To accurately scan the image surface, a complex control system to precisely control the scanning position or an expensive laser array is required due to the presence of multiple lasers. Hence, a need exists for a beam scanning apparatus which reduces or eliminates the need for a complex control system and/or multiple lasers.